OAT BY-PRODUCTS FOR FARM STOCK. 135 



From 6 to 8 pounds daily can thus be fed (well moistened) to mature 

 bovines, proportionately less to young stock, and about 5 to 6 pounds 

 daily to horses. 



AMiile oat feed is used in considerable amounts in many i)roprietary 

 grain mixtures, the best grades, whether rich in protein or carbohydrates, 

 caimot contain large quantities for the reason that such an addition 

 would unduly increase their fiber content and also lessen their digestibiUty. 



The claim is made that aside from its nutritive value, oat feed possesses 

 merit as bulk, serving to distribute and Ughten the heavier concentrates. 

 How valid this claim is has not been proved, although as a result of 

 experience many feeders claim that the feeding of considerable amounts 

 of a gi'ain ration which lacks bulk is not advisable. Be that as it may, 

 the use of a few hundred pounds (about 15 per cent) of oat feed in a ton 

 of home-mixed ration would not be objectionable, especially if the other 

 ingredients are highly digestible and finel3' ground. 



In view of the ever-increasing demand for the grains as human food, 

 it should be the aim of both the manufacturer and feeder to use the by- 

 products to the best advantage. Methods for improving the digesti- 

 bility of indigestible materials, such as gi-ain hulls and the like, merit 

 the careful attention of investigators. 



Oat feed should bear a guarantee of composition, and the manufac- 

 turers should be careful that it is of stable composition. The purchaser 

 will lose confidence if it shows variations from an accepted standard, or 

 if material is offered as oat feed which consists only of ground oat hulls. 



Low-grade by-products, of which oat feed is a type, must be sold on 

 their merits and at a price commensurate with their feeding value. Any 

 attempt to sell such material either by itself or in proprietary mix-tures 

 at prices unwarranted by its feeding value as compared with feeding 

 stuffs of higher grade would quickly destroy the confidence of the pur- 

 chaser and result in a slackened demand for the article. The old motto 

 of "state what you sell and sell what you state" may be improved by 

 the addition of the clause "at a price commensurate with its value," 

 and would be especially appUcable to this class of materials. 



